Forest Midgets Relax at Day's End
in Their Jungle Courtyard
Woman resting with chin on hand is Sau,
accused of witchcraft, whom Mrs. Putnam
saved from death (page 297). Sleeping
dog descends from ancient Basenjis, de
picted on tombs of the Egyptian Pharaohs.
Thatches of leaves, though flimsy in ap
pearance, shed the rain forest's frequent
downpours. One unfinished hut reveals its
lattice framework. Wicker baskets atop
another are used to carry food.
Descendants of an ancient race whose
origins baffle anthropologists, the 4 2 -foot,
brick-brown hunters survive with a few
crude weapons, courage, and a reluctance
to worry about tomorrow.
up there, and all the ants in the tree might
join me in the car, but even that seemed
preferable. Backing up the Peugeot for a
good start, I shifted into low gear and lunged
forward. After a breath-taking moment
among crackling branches, I found myself
on the other side of the tree.
Hours later, after 95 more miles of slick
road and virtually zero visibility, I was honk
ing my horn at Camp Putnam. Sleepy-eyed
Pygmies and their masters, the normal-sized
Bantu, stumbled out of huts and surrounded
the car. They were so taken with it for a
few minutes that I began to feel a little in
the way. Then they remembered me.
Pygmies Offer Forest as Gift
When Patrick died, the Pygmies, Bantu,
and other natives from miles around had as
sembled at Camp Putnam for a solemn little
ceremony.
"Now that Bwana is dead," their spokes
man had told me, ''the forest is left in your
hands. We give it to you."
Now, as of old, they called me "Madami"
- madame-and
said: "The forest still be
longs to you. It does not matter how many
other white men come.''
That first night I was too tired to unpack.
Bantu neighbors came to my house and lent
me bed sheets embroidered with red elephants.
I dropped off to sleep reflecting anew upon
the curious bond that exists between these
taller Africans and the Pygmies.
The strangest part of this feudal relation
ship lies in the absence of oppression or cruelty
sometimes found in such social systems. Vio
lence did play a part, however, in the early
18th century, beginning long before Europeans
arrived in central Africa. In those days in
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tertribal wars were encouraged by the Arabs,
who invaded the interior in search of ivory,
used captured natives to carry tusks to the
coast, and sold them as slaves to traffickers
in human flesh. Many Pygmies were involved
in these wars.
The taller Bantu, busy fighting, saw the
Pygmies' usefulness as hunters and foragers
and tried to keep them in a serflike status.
The Pygmies, who have never mastered the
art of forging metal, obtain tools and utensils
from their lieges. In return, the Bantu exer
cise certain protective rights over the Pygmies.
Good will exists on both sides.